There has been an increased demand for “off the shelf” products which provide a consumer with instantly accessible nutrients. Examples of such products are energy bars and fortified sports drinks. Such products are often “loaded” with additional vitamins, minerals and proteins so as to provide the consumer with a “one stop” nutritional snack when needed, e.g. before or after participation in sporting activities.
At commercially desirable pH, some protein-containing liquids may have poor stability or solubility, and may precipitate, aggregate and sediment in the liquid. This may cause a deterioration of commercially-desirable characteristics of certain liquid products, such as mouthfeel, appearance or flavour. This may be manifested as either a loss in a desired clarity in which the liquid is rendered cloudy or opaque, or a loss in desired stability in which material precipitates or aggregates to an extent sufficient to form visible sediment. it is also known in the art that the heating of or the presence of multivalent metal cations or their compounds in protein-containing liquids may initiate or exacerbate the processes leading to loss of clarity or stability.
In particular, as regulations often require that certain beverages undergo a heat treatment, the inability to deliver or maintain the desired characteristics of the beverage may further require compromises in beverage composition. It would be desirable to improve the properties of such beverages or reduce the limitations on their composition.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved or alternative method of enhancing clarity and/or stability properties of a liquid or gel, said liquid or gel containing an amount of protein.